Open Access research that is better understanding work in the global economy...

Better understanding the nature of work and labour within the globalised political economy is a focus of the 'Work, Labour & Globalisation Research Group'. This involves researching the effects of new forms of labour, its transnational character and the gendered aspects of contemporary migration. A Scottish perspective is provided by the Scottish Centre for Employment Research (SCER). But the research specialisms of the Department of Work, Employment & Organisation go beyond this to also include front-line service work, leadership, the implications of new technologies at work, regulation of employment relations and workplace innovation.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to ascertain the step count levels in lower-limb amputees within the British Armed Forces, both during and away from in-patient rehabilitation. The primary question was whether the mean daily step count changed when the amputee left the controlled rehabilitation process. Results: 10 participants completed the study. The change in step count levels between in-patient and out-patient blocks was found to be significant (p=0.004) with a mean of 2296 +/- 1045 steps per day as an in-patient and 1354 +/- 715 steps per day as an out-patient. All participants were within three years of injury and 9 of the participants who completed the study were bilateral lower-limb amputees. Conclusion: The results indicate a statistically significant drop in step-count levels between in-patient and out-patient blocks of data. However, this data gives an indication of what step count level can be achieved by multi-trauma amputees in the first three years of injury.